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Opportunities to Improve Student Fitness

Researchers have tied several factors to better physical fitness
among adolescents in low-income communities. The findings point
to potential policy opportunities to help improve students' health.

Research has shown that the nationwide rise in obesity over
the past decades reflects changes in our environment. A lack
of access to produce markets, supermarkets and health food stores,
for example, has been associated with higher rates of obesity
in New York City. Studies have also found that people in neighborhoods
without sidewalks, or who live far from a recreational facility
or a walking or biking trail, are more likely to be obese.

Health professionals are particularly concerned about the number
of youth living in disadvantaged areas, who are at high risk
for physical inactivity and obesity, and thus cardiovascular
disease and mortality. Since the environment is something that
can be affected by public policy, Dr. Kristine A. Madsen at the
University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues at the
University of California, Berkeley, sought to gain insight into
opportunities for boosting physical activity among adolescents
in low-income communities.

The researchers looked at over 9,000 7th and 9th grade students
in 19 public schools participating in the Healthy Eating Active
Communities program—a multiyear initiative supported by
the California Endowment and Kaiser Permanente to help low-income
communities transform their nutrition and physical activity environments
to promote healthy eating and active living. The students were
asked in anonymous surveys about physical activity during their
days, from the time they got up to the time they went to bed.
The scientists compared this survey data with fitness test results
(a mile run) and body mass index measurements collected by the
California Department of Education. Their analysis was funded
by NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development (NICHD) and the American Heart Association.

In the November 2009 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine, the researchers reported that almost half the
students were overweight or obese, and over half didn't meet
recommended physical fitness standards. Physical education
classes (PE) had the strongest link to both fitness and weight
status. Students who reported doing at least 20 minutes of
exercise during PE were leaner and fitter. Those who reported
enjoying PE were more fit as well. Being active on school grounds
outside school was also linked with better fitness among the
middle school students.

Although children who walked to and from school were more fit,
they were actually slightly heavier than their classmates. "We
didn't expect that, because we tend to think that people who
are more active are leaner," Madsen says. But a closer look
revealed that these students were more likely to stop while on
their way to buy foods from fast food establishments, food carts
or corner stores.

Madsen says these findings point to potential policy opportunities. "I
think there are some simple things that might help," she
says. "Look at the policies around academic performance
at the local, state or national levels. PE's not there yet. There's
no reason annual standards shouldn't include physical performance
standards."